Canberran Nick Kyrgios will get his second chance to earn his place in the main draw of the Australian Open with the first round of qualifying starting today in Melbourne.
The 16-year-old will play Frenchman Mathieu Rodrigues who is ranked 214.
Currently without a professional ranking, Kyrgios had hoped to earn his place among the world's best in the Australian Open wildcard play-off last month but just fell short against eventual champion Marinko Matosevic, losing in the quarter-finals.
Despite the three-set loss, Kyrgios believes that lessons he learnt from that match will put him in good stead for today's contest.
''I sort of know a little bit of what I will be up against,'' he said.
''But it is just a good experience to see the top-level players and the different standard of the game from the juniors.'' Kyrgios believes that the biggest difference from the juniors to seniors is the power game employed by the older men.
''I definitely need to play big,'' he said. ''You can get away with just trying to keep the ball in and just getting points in juniors, but you really need to go after it.
''When you have got opportunities, you have to take them because when they have their chances they are not going to ease off, they are going to try and take them as well.''
To qualify, Kyrgios will have to win three matches against more experienced opposition. Even if he does not qualify, he will still be playing in the junior Open where he expects to be seeded just outside the top 10.
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